World · KurilsPutin Lands on Disputed Kurils for First Time Since 2010 as Japan ProtestsAired August 14, 2026 at 10:19 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Russian President Vladimir Putin landed0:02on the disputed Kuril Islands on August0:0413th, his first visit as president since0:062010, stepping onto Itorofu, called0:08Iturup in Russian, at the southern tip0:10of the chain off Hokkaido, prompting0:12Japan to protest and summon the Russian0:14ambassador over its claim to the four0:16southernmost islands. Japan calls those0:18four southernmost islands the northern0:20territories and says they are its0:21inherent territory [music] historically0:23and under international law, while0:25Russia administers them as the southern0:27Kurils. The claim centers on those four0:29islands at the southern end, seized by0:31the Soviet Union in the final days of0:33World War II, and the unresolved dispute0:36has left the two countries without a0:37formal World War II peace treaty ever0:39since. The roots of the standoff go back0:42to the Soviet [music] seizure after its0:43August 8th, 1945 declaration of war, the0:46displacement of about 17,000 residents,0:49and the continued military presence that0:51followed. The chain stretches south from0:53Kamchatka to just off Japan's northern0:55island of Hokkaido, with Itorofu, Iturup0:58sitting at the southern end closest to1:00Japan. On Itorofu, Putin toured a1:03hospital, a school, and a fish1:04processing plant, and spoke with local1:06residents. He traveled via Sakhalin,1:09where the day before he observed a1:10Pacific Fleet drill aboard the missile1:12cruiser Varyag and stressed combat1:14readiness and the goals of the special1:16military operation. The same islands1:18carried two names and two legal claims,1:20with rich fishing grounds and deposits1:22including gold and silver adding to the1:24stakes.1:31Japan's response was swift. The Foreign1:33Ministry protested and summoned the1:35Russian ambassador, with attribution1:37differing across accounts between the1:39Foreign Minister's statement and a1:40strong protest by the Prime Minister.1:42Ties have sharpened since Russia's1:44full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.1:47No Russian response to the protest and1:49summons was detailed. No new economic1:52infrastructure or military pledges for1:54Itorofu or Iturup were detailed, and1:56whether any dialogue toward a1:58territorial settlement or treaty can1:59resume remains unresolved.2:02Like and follow for more stories that2:03matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗